Business: Interest Rate Swap Transactions

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the number of businesses offered redress as part of their redress scheme for businesses mis-sold interest rate hedging products; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Government wants the Financial Conduct Authority's review process to be concluded as quickly and as fairly as possible, and the Department continues to engage with the Financial Conduct Authority on this issue, including at ministerial level.

Copyright

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the judgement by the Court of Justice of the European Union, in the case VG Wort v Kyocera on 27 June 2013, on his proposal for an exception to copyright for private copying that allows for appropriate compensation to be paid at the point of sale.

Jo Swinson: The Government is currently inviting comment on its draft regulations for changes to copyright exceptions. Written comments on the draft regulations for Private Copying, Parody, Quotation, and Public Administration should be submitted by 17 July either in writing to the IPO or emailed to
	Copyrightconsultation@ipo.gov.uk
	Written comments on the draft regulations for Data Analysis for Non-Commercial Research, Education, and Research, Libraries and Archives should be submitted by 2 August.
	Part of this technical review process will involve ensuring compliance with all relevant legal obligations, including ECJ case law. The Government has been following closely the case of Wort and is examining the judgment. It would welcome any views on this specific issue from those who plan to participate in the technical review.

EU Internal Trade

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in (a) total and (b) each NUTS 1 region conducted trade in (i) services and (ii) goods with other EU countries in the last 12 months.

Michael Fallon: Data on the number of businesses in the UK conducting trade in services with other EU countries is not available.
	Data on the number of businesses in the UK (and in each NUTS 1 region) conducting trade in goods with other EU countries is available from the HMRC Regional Trade Statistics. Data for each year and quarter (up to Q1 2013) is published at:
	www.uktradeinfo.com

Industrial Training Boards

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when the triennial review of the Industry Training Boards for Construction, Engineering Construction and Film Industry Training Boards is expected to be completed.

Matthew Hancock: The Triennial Review of the Industry Training Boards is expected to be completed by the end of March 2014.

Royal Mail

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the profit margins were of the Royal Mail in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Fallon: The table sets out the profit margins for Royal Mail Group (including GLS (General Logistics Systems) but excluding POL).
	Royal Mail's preliminary results for 2012/13 published on 23 May indicated that the profit margin for the UK mails (excluding GLS which operates in Europe) was 3.9%—up from 0.5% the previous year. In the 12 years since 2002, Royal Mail's core UK letters and parcels business suffered losses in five of those years.
	
		
			  Margin (percentage) 
			 2003 0.3 
			 2004 3.3 
			 2005 2.3 
			 2006 3.8 
			 2007 2,1 
			 2008 -2.0 
			 2009 1.2 
			 2010 1.7 
			 2011 0.2 
			 2012 1.7 
			 2013 4.4 
			 Notes: 1. For 2005-07, Op profit calculated as Op profit before exceptional items minus Op Exceptional Items. 2. For 2003 and 2004, "profit from operations" used. Sources: 1. 2003-07 annual accounts 2. 2009-12 annual report 3. 2013 preliminary results

Housing: Disability

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to issue best practice guidance on the use of the disabled facilities grants to local authorities.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Communities and Local Government has no plans to publish best practice guidance on the use of the Disabled Facilities Grant to local authorities, as it was always intended the sector would publish the guidance and not this Department. Officials in my Department are working with the Homes Adaptations Consortium on the drafting of the guidance.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government funds Foundations to be the National Body for Home Improvement Agencies. As part of its role, Foundations provides training, advice and support to home improvement agencies, which are responsible for delivering around half of the adaptations funded by grant.

Housing: Disability

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to provide housing to ensure that people with spinal cord injuries are not unsuitably discharged from hospital into a nursing home;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to provide housing for people with spinal cord injuries who are living in nursing homes because they are unable to find suitable housing.

Mark Prisk: The Government is working to actively promote specialised housing and the adaption of existing housing to help disabled, older and vulnerable people to live independently in their own homes. My Department provides Disabled Facilities Grant funding to local housing authorities in England for the provision of adaptations to the homes of disabled people.
	The Government secured £725 million for the grant in the 2010 spending review for the period 2011-12 to 2014-15. In 2011-12 the annual allocation for the grant rose to £180 million, an increase of £11 million compared to the 2010-11 budget of £169 million. The allocation for the grant will increase further to £185 million by the end of the spending review (2014-15).
	Over the last two years, the Government has invested an additional £60 million bringing the total grant in 2011-12 to £200 million and in 2012-13 to £220 million.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government is working in partnership with the Department of Health regarding the future provision of specialised housing specifically for older and disabled people. The Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund is making up to £300 million available over five years to stimulate the market for specialised housing. The Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc.) Act 2003 gives entailments to six weeks of intermediate care, which can include reablement, as well as aids and minor adaptations up to the value of £1,000. Both of these strands help individuals, including those with spinal injuries, to return to their own home.

Planning Permission

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the number of local authorities who have determined 30 per cent or fewer of major planning applications within 13 weeks in the last three years.

Nicholas Boles: A table showing the performance of local authorities in deciding major applications within 13 weeks, in each of the past three years, has been placed in the Library of the House.
	The Government's response to the consultation on tackling poor performance in the planning system, including its proposals for implementing Section 1 of the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013, was published on 4 June alongside the criteria proposed for designating authorities on the basis of under-performance against statutory deadlines.
	The final release of data on processing speeds, before any initial designations are made, will be in September this year (showing performance up to the end of June 2013).

Planning Permission

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many Article 4 directions were put in place by local authorities in 2012;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to a local authority of putting in place an Article 4 direction;
	(3)  whether his Department offers assistance to local authorities who wish to put in place an Article 4 direction.

Nicholas Boles: The Department's records indicate that 99 article 4 directions were put in place by local authorities during 2012. The Department has issued guidance to local authorities on how to put in place an article 4 direction, including a one-page template for draft directions. Following discussion with the Local Government Association, this guidance is being updated as part of the Government's review of planning guidance. Article 4 directions vary significantly in scope, and can apply for example to a single property or a wider area. It is for local authorities to ensure that costs associated with putting a direction in place, if they decide to do so, are proportionate in the context of local circumstances.

Urban Areas

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussion the Future High Streets Commission has had about the introduction of a two year flexible use class.

Mark Prisk: The Portas Review noted that the use class system imposed unnecessary restrictions on business, and made it too difficult for buildings to have different uses and to change uses. The Government's response to the Portas Review in March 2012 noted that the Government was undertaking a wider review of how change of use is handled in the planning system, with a view to reducing the burden of regulation.
	The Future High Streets Forum was set up in March 2013. It is considering a wide range of issues, including planning, that impact on the high street. The proposal for a temporary two-year flexible use was set out in the July 2012 consultation "New opportunities for sustainable development and growth through the reuse of existing buildings". The summary of responses was published in May 2013, and the amended rules came into force on 30 May 2013. As announced in the Budget, we are considering what further steps can be taken to support vibrant town centres and help get empty and redundant buildings back into productive use.

Iran

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2013, Official Report, column 400W, on Iran, what the assessed and agreed potential liability is to international military services of funds owed to Iran.

Andrew Robathan: The matter is the subject of ongoing commercial negotiations between International Military Services (IMS), a private limited company, and the Iranian authorities.

Youth Services

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had to discuss the youth-proofing of policy in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many times his Department's Youth Action Group has met since publication of the Government's Positive for Youth initiative in December 2011;
	(3)  how many times he attended a Youth Action Group meeting since publication of the Government's Positive for Youth initiative in December 2011;
	(4)  what organisations he has met to discuss youth services policy since publication of the Government's Positive for Youth initiative in December 2011; and what the date and duration was of each such meeting;
	(5)  what organisations officials in his Department have met to discuss youth services policy since the publication of the Government's Positive for Youth initiative in December 2011; and what the date and duration was of each such meeting.

Edward Timpson: The Youth Voice programme, which is delivered by the British Youth Council with grant funding from the Department for Education, includes provision for the National Scrutiny Group and the Youth Select Committee. These groups scrutinise the work of all Government Departments and both have looked at the Department for Education's work on Curriculum and Qualifications. In February 2012, the National Scrutiny Group discussed youth policy with the Secretary of State for Education and on 2 July they discussed the Prime Minister's decision to transfer youth policy to the Cabinet Office with me and the Minister for Civil Society my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd). The Cabinet Office is assuming responsibility for the Youth Voice programme and grant as part of the Machinery of Government change announced on 3 July.
	The minutes of the Youth Action Group are published on the internet at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/youngpeople/a00192405/youth-action-group
	These show that the group met on 7 June 2011, 25 October 2011, 12 January 2012, 27 June 2012, 30 October 2012, 20 March 2013 and that I co-chaired the most recent meetings with Martina Milburn of the Prince's Trust. Ministers from other Departments also attended. The group is meeting on 9 July 2013 when Nick Hurd will assume my role as co-chair.
	In addition, Ministers and officials have had numerous other meetings with organisations representing the youth sector since we published Positive for Youth. Compiling a list of the date and duration of these meetings and discussions would be possible only at disproportionate cost.

Youth Services

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many myplace youth centres have been completed.

Edward Timpson: As of June 2013, 59 out of the 63 Myplace projects funded were completed. A total of £235 million of capital grant from the Department for Education and former Department for Children Schools and Families was allocated to the Myplace projects.
	In respect of the incomplete projects, Bexley and Calderdale are already partially open and will be completed imminently. Tower Hamlets and Suffolk are due to complete later in the year.

Electricity

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of maximum electricity demand as a percentage of capacity in the UK.

Michael Fallon: In winter 2011-12 (the latest year for which data are available), maximum electricity demand was 69.8% of UK capacity(1). Data for.2012-13 will be published on 25 July 2013.
	(1) Capacity for wind, small hydro and solar PV are de-rated for intermittency.
	Source:
	Digest of UK Energy Statistics, 2012, table 5.10, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-chapter-5-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes

Power Stations

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to mothball sufficient power stations (a) already and (b) scheduled to be taken out of service to ensure a strategic reserve generating capacity to (i) prevent power cuts and (ii) meet emergency demands in times of conflict or other crises;
	(2)  whether he has identified any power stations, either closed or scheduled for closure, which could be mothballed economically; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: Decisions on whether to mothball power stations are taken by individual plant owners, not Government.
	Government considered as part of its Electricity Market Reform Programme a number of options to ensure future security of electricity supply, including a Strategic Reserve. A Capacity Market, rather than a Strategic Reserve, was chosen as the preferred means as it offers the surest way to ensure security of supply against a range of scenarios. In June 2013 Government confirmed that the first capacity auction would be held in late 2014 for delivery in 2018-19, subject to state aid approval.
	In addition, Ofgem and National Grid have undertaken a consultation on the need for and design of new balancing services to ensure security of supply in the period before the Capacity Market is in operation. This could include National Grid contracting generation plant that would otherwise be retired as uneconomic, which is likely to include plant that is currently mothballed.

Solar Power: China

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration his Department made of the potential effect on sales of solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers in the UK of the decision to oppose European Union anti-dumping prohibitions against solar PV imports from China.

Gregory Barker: The Department is working closely with the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, which leads on all Trade Defence issues, on this matter.
	As with all trade defence cases, the Government based its position on an economic evaluation of the European Commission's proposals. Our consideration included assessment of the impact of these proposals on the solar PV supply chain. The Government also took account of information and views received from interested parties, including UK manufacturers, installers, developers, importers and users of solar PV products.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) in the UK are used in the retail sector; which UK retailers were directly invited to attend his Department's Stationary Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps focus group meeting of 21 December 2012 on the EC proposal for a revised F-gas regulation; which UK retailers have been formally consulted on the review of EC Regulation No 842/2006 in the last 12 months; with which companies and individuals his Department has met in the last 12 months to discuss the review of that Regulation; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: While data is available for the total sales of F-gases in the UK, this does not provide information about which market sectors and sub-sectors subsequently use these F-gases.
	No UK retailers were directly invited to attend the stationary refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps focus group meeting held on 21 December 2012. However, representatives were invited from the Food and Drink Federation, British Retail Consortium (BRC) and British Frozen Food Federation.
	All UK supermarkets were invited, either directly or through invitations to industry representative bodies, to attend an open stakeholder meeting that was held in London on 4 March to discuss the European Commission's proposal for a new Regulation on fluorinated greenhouse gases.
	Officials continue to have regular dialogue with UK food retailers and the BRC to discuss steps they are taking to address their use of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. Furthermore, as part of the implementation of the fluorinated greenhouse gases regulatory framework there have been concentrated efforts to work with the large food retailers, who are major users of HFCs, to address their HFC emissions and reduce their leakage rates.
	I have placed a copy of the list of companies and individuals that DEFRA has met in the last 12 months to discuss the review of EC Regulation No. 842/2006 on fluorinated greenhouse gases in the Library of the House.

Nature Conservation

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  which programmes and projects were undertaken by his Department under its priority, a healthy natural environment programme in each of the last three financial years; what the spending was on each in each such year; and what estimate he has made of likely spend on each such programme and project for each of the next three years;
	(2)  which programmes and projects were undertaken by his Department under its priority to, help to enhance the environment and biodiversity in each of the last three financial years; what the spending was on each in each such year; and what estimate he has made of likely spend on each such programme and project for each of the next three years;
	(3)  which programmes and projects were undertaken by his Department under its priority to, support a strong and sustainable green economy in each of the last three financial years; what the spending was on each in each such year; and what estimate he has made of likely spend on each such programme and project for each of the next three years;
	(4)  what programmes and projects were undertaken by his Department under its priority to, prepare and manage risk from animal and plant diseases in each of the last three financial years; what the spending was on each in each such year; and what estimate he has made of likely spend on each such programme and project for each of the next three years;
	(5)  what programmes and projects were undertaken by his Department under its priority to, prepare and manage risk from environmental emergencies in each of the last three financial years; what the spending was on each in each such year; and what estimate he has made of likely spend on each such programme and project for each of the next three years;
	(6)  what programmes and projects were undertaken by his Department under its priority, adapting to climate change programme in each of the last three financial years; what the spending was on each in each such year; and what estimate he has made of likely spend on each such programme and project for each of the next three years.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 4 July 2013
	Details of DEFRA's performance against its priorities can be found within the Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) for the relevant years. The ARA is presented to the House of Commons each year; details are available on the DEFRA pages of the www.gov.uk website. The ARA for 2012-13 is due to be published prior to summer recess.
	Budget information for 2013-14 can be found in the parliamentary estimates that were published by Her Majesty's Treasury on the gov.uk website.
	DEFRA's Business Plan sets out our current priorities along with details of planned departmental expenditure. Budgets for the years 2014-15 and 2015-16 are still being finalised. Once this has been done, details will be available in the parliamentary estimate documents for the respective year. The Business Plan is published on the Number 10 pages of the gov.uk site.
	A table detailing the breakdown of the priorities by programme has been placed in the House Library.

Plants: Falkland Islands

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what help he has given to the Falkland Islands Government to tackle the plant calafate originally from Argentina; and when this invasion of plant calafate is expected to be eradicated.

Richard Benyon: Responsibility for environmental management in the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) has been devolved to the Territories' own governments. However, the UK Government recognises that many UKOTs lack sufficient funding and/or personnel to ensure the protection of the local environment and therefore they require additional support.
	In 2011, DEFRA initiated a series of research projects to address threats to biodiversity in the South Atlantic Overseas Territories. These projects were designed to bring UK and overseas expertise together to address issues specifically identified by the Overseas Territories' Governments. The funding for these was separate from Darwin Initiative funding. Two of these projects addressed threats from invasive plants in the Falklands:
	1. A review of the potential for bio-control of invasive species in the Falklands and South Georgia, a £58,000 project undertaken by CABI UK. This identified one potential bio-control agent for calafate (Berberis microphylla). The research was published on the DEFRA science website in 2012.
	2. A review of the rate and extent of spread and risks posed by invasive species, a £74,000 project undertaken by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Falklands Conservation. This research looked at a range of invasive plants in the Falklands, including calafate and has supported the production of a draft strategy for invasive species control in the Falklands. The final report will be published on the DEFRA science website in 2013. The draft invasive plant strategy is currently being reviewed by Falklands Government experts.
	In October 2012, UK Government also launched a new Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund, also known as Darwin Plus. This provides funding of around £2 million per year for projects in our UK Overseas Territories; the call for applications is currently open.

African Union

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to co-operate with member states of the African Union which supported its recent resolution calling for payments of ransom to terrorists to be made illegal, in working towards that goal.

Alistair Burt: The British Government and the African Union share the same policy against the payment of ransoms to terrorist groups. The Government used its G8 Presidency to secure a G8 commitment to unequivocally reject the payment of ransoms to terrorists. We will work closely with the African Union and other multilateral fora to amplify the strong message made by the G8 in order to suffocate kidnap for ransom as a source of terrorist funding. We hope African countries will support our work in the UN to establish new mechanisms to raise awareness of the threat of kidnap for ransom, including any further resolutions to address and mitigate the threat.
	It is already illegal to pay ransoms to terrorists under international and UK law.

Dominican Republic

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he or one of his Ministers last met the (a) Justice Minister and (b) Attorney-General of the Dominican Republic.

Hugo Swire: The position of Justice Minister does not exist in the Dominican Republic. The responsibility for the justice system is shared between the Attorney-General and the President of the Supreme Court. Neither the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) nor any members of his ministerial team have met the President of the Supreme Court or the Attorney-General of the Dominican Republic.

Kidnapping

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department is considering taking steps to prevent (a) insurance companies, (b) businesses and (c) other bodies from paying ransoms to terrorists.

Alistair Burt: It is already illegal to pay ransoms to terrorists under international and UK law. The British Government is committed to ensuring that UK insurance companies, businesses and other bodies abide by these legal obligations. The Government is also pressing international partners to do the same and used the UK Presidency of the G8 to secure a G8 commitment to unequivocally reject the payment of ransoms to terrorists. We hope that other countries, and businesses and the non-governmental sector in those countries, will follow the G8's lead. We will work closely with them in order to suffocate kidnap for ransom as a source of terrorist funding.

Kidnapping

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has held with interested parties about the practice of freeing convicted terrorists as part of hostage-release packages; and what steps he plans to take to bring that practice to an end.

Alistair Burt: The British Government has a long-standing policy of not making or facilitating substantive concessions to hostage-takers. This means the Government will not pay ransoms, exchange prisoners or change government policy.
	We continue to press the international community to follow the UK's lead in not making any concessions to terrorists at the UN and elsewhere. The Government recently used its G8 Presidency to prioritise this issue and secured a significant G8 commitment unequivocally to reject the payment of ransoms to terrorists. We hope other countries will follow the G8’s lead. At the same time the Government will continue to discuss the issue at the UN and in other multilateral fora to amplify the strong message made by the G8 to suffocate kidnap for ransom as a source of terrorist funding.

Kidnapping

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that an effective mechanism is put in place to regulate and police ransom payments to terrorists.

Alistair Burt: It is already illegal to pay ransoms to terrorists under international and UK law. The UN sanctions regime established by UN Resolution 1267 (1999) states that the payment of ransoms to designated terrorists contravenes international law. The UK's obligations under international law are also mirrored in UK domestic legislation through the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT).
	The UK is taking the lead in encouraging other states, businesses and the non-governmental sector not to make concessions to terrorists. The Government recently used its G8 Presidency to prioritise this issue and secured a significant G8 commitment to unequivocally reject the payment of ransoms to terrorists.

Kidnapping

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of international measures in place to prevent countries rejecting financial ransom demands in public while paying them in private.

Alistair Burt: International legal obligations under the UN Sanctions regime established by UN Resolution 1267 (1999) explicitly state that the payment of ransoms to designated terrorists contravenes international law. The Government has taken the lead pressing the international community to abide by its international legal obligations. The UK used its presidency of the G8 to secure an unequivocal commitment to reject ransom payments to terrorists in accordance with the UN sanctions regime. At the G8 leaders recognised that ransom payments only fuel the problem of terror, strengthening and sustaining terrorist groups and encouraging them to carry out future kidnaps. We hope that other countries will follow the G8's lead and ensure that all states uphold the sanctions regime.

Palestinians

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of reports that the UN Development Programme has sponsored the annual Palestinian Prince of Martyrs Abu Jihad Football Tournament;
	(2)  what representations he has made to the Palestinian Authority about UN Development Programme sponsorship of a recent football tournament in memory of terrorist Abu Jihad.

Alistair Burt: As the Prime Minister made clear in his speech to the United Jewish Israel Appeal on 15 October 2012, the UK will not tolerate incitement to terrorism and cannot support those who name sporting events after suicide bombers. The UN Development Programme made clear in a statement on 2 May 2013 that they have had no role in the tournament, its naming or any other activity related to it. The statement is available here:
	http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2013/05/02/undp-response-to-soccer-tournament-hosted-by-ansal-al-quds-club-in-jerusalem/
	We have a regular dialogue with the Palestinian Authority and Israeli Government in which we reiterate the need for both sides to prepare their populations for peaceful coexistence and to avoid anything which stirs up hatred and prejudice. Our consul-general to Jerusalem reiterated this position in a speech on 19 June 2013, in which he called on Prime Minister Hamdallah to continue to avoid violence and incitement. We have also raised the issue of incitement with the then Prime Minister Fayyad's office in January 2013.

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on awarding ongoing payments to victims of contaminated blood who are infected with either HIV or hepatitis C stage two; for what reasons such payments are awarded; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Government makes annual non-discretionary payments, currently £14,191, uprated each year in line with the consumer prices index, to all individuals infected with HIV or with the most serious hepatitis C-related disease, in recognition of the special circumstances of these individuals as a result of their infection.

Nurses: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered nurses there were at each acute hospital trust in London in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: As a consequence of Transforming Community Services, the provider arm of some former primary care trusts may have transferred into local acute trusts. For that reason, the following table shows the numbers of qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff employed by each national health service organisation, including acute trusts, in the former London strategic health authority area as at 30 September in each of the specified years.
	
		
			 NHS hospital and community health services: qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in the London strategic health authority area by organisation as at 30 September each specified year 
			 Full time equivalent 
			  2010 2011 2012 
			 London Strategic Health Authority area 51,839 51,785 51,886 
			     
			 NHS Trusts 46,017 49,545 51,343 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust 1,638 1,866 1,870 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 1,301 1,313 1,357 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust 652 824 798 
			 Barts and the London NHS Trust 2,435 2,531 n/a 
			 Barts Health NHS Trust n/a n/a 4,488 
			 . Bromley Healthcare n/a n/a 197 
			 Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust 542 492 415 
			 Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust 1,286 1,189 1,591 
			 Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust n/a 687 957 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 1,050 1,040 1,076 
			 Croydon Health Services NHS Trust 941 920 884 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 524 1,059 1,071 
			 East London NHS Foundation Trust 888 1,147 1,040 
			 Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust 1,268 1,322 1,317 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Foundation Trust 1,092 1,061 1,137 
			 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 3,026 3,543 3,663 
			 Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 746 753 720 
		
	
	
		
			 Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 746 1,012 1,018 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 3,206 3,229 3,165 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 2,154 2,263 2,410 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 764 729 754 
			 Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust 802 955 950 
			 Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 320 350 348 
			 Newham University Hospital NHS Trust 750 753 n/a 
			 North East London NHS Foundation Trust 711 714 1,617 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 720 730 694 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 1,501 1,489 1,556 
			 Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust 794 1,009 1,016 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust 1,027 1,079 1,079 
			 Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust 1,547 1,560 1,416 
			 Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust 735 743 994 
			 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 338 351 350 
			 South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust 1,530 1,472 1,472 
			 South London Healthcare NHS Trust 1,809 1,809 1,745 
			 South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust 693 671 599 
			 St George's Healthcare NHS Trust 2,287 2,319 2,329 
			 Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust 14 14 15 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 2,123 2,202 2,231 
			 West London Mental Health NHS Trust 1,290 1,199 1,080 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 698 638 612 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 1,141 1,162 n/a 
			 Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 783 1,199 1,154 
			 Your Healthcare 141 148 156 
			     
			 Primary Care Trusts 5,820 2,240 541 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 18 15 3 
			 Barnet PCT 278 279 n/a 
			 Bexley Care Trust 7 7 7 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 211 9 10 
			 Bromley PCT 236 212 12 
			 Camden PCT 211 228 n/a 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 261 26 16 
			 Croydon PCT 30 n/a n/a 
			 Ealing PCT 242 10 11 
			 Enfield PCT 196 1 n/a 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 221 5 5 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 37 15 12 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 144 10 n/a 
			 Harrow PCT 146 n/a n/a 
			 Havering PCT 528 449 2 
			 Hillingdon PCT 231 233 7 
			 Hounslow PCT 2 2 2 
			 Islington PCT 222 5 25 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT . 700 3 3 
			 Kingston PCT 2 n/a n/a 
			 Lambeth PCT 250 4 5 
			 Lewisham PCT 184 94 86 
			 Newham PCT 281 n/a n/a 
			 Redbridge PCT 84 85 15 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 292 269 283 
			 Southwark PCT 210 n/a n/a 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 258 239 n/a 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 304 n/a n/a 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 10 4 3 
			 Wandsworth PCT 15 33 28 
			 Westminster PCT 8 3 6 
			     
		
	
	
		
			 London Strategic Health Authority 2 1 2 
			 n/a = Not applicable. Notes: 1. Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number. 2. As a consequence of TCS (Transforming Community Services) the former provider arm of some PCTs may have transferred into local acute trusts, this can be seen in the large increase in staff numbers at Ealing Hospital NHS Trust for example. For this reason we have supplied figures for all NHS organisations. Data Quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census

School Milk

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he is considering adopting a cap-based solution to the nursery milk scheme.

Daniel Poulter: The Department is analysing evidence and responses received to the Next Steps for Nursery Milk consultation. A decision about the future operation of the Nursery Milk Scheme will be made after full consideration is given to the evidence, responses and other relevant information.

Glastonbury Festival

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new psychoactive substances were identified by her Department's forensic early warning system at the Glastonbury Festival in (a) 2013, (b) 2012 and (c) 2011.

Jeremy Browne: The Home Office Forensic Early Warning System (FEWS) identified 13 different new psychoactive substances, most in more than one sample, at the Glastonbury festival in 2011. Of these, nine are currently controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Together with the Advisory Council we continue to develop the evidence on these, and other so called 'legal highs', as they are identified by FEWS, taking legislative action when the evidence base supports it.
	There was no Glastonbury festival in 2012. FEWS attended the 2013 Glastonbury festival which ended last week. The results from the samples analysed at the 2013 festival are not yet available.

Human Trafficking

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department allocated in 2012-13 and has allocated in 2014-15 for (a) research into the prevention of human trafficking and (b) rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking.

Mark Harper: No Home Office funding, for research into the prevention of human trafficking in 2012-13, was allocated.
	Funding for research projects is considered as required.
	The Home Office has granted £44,266, in total, to the Refugee Council and The Children's Society for a joint bid to undertake a scoping review of the practical care arrangements for trafficked children. This will add value to our understanding of the issues affecting the lives of this vulnerable group of young people and will be useful in shaping future policy and enhancing practice in this area.
	In 2012-13, the Home Office paid £1.5 million to the Ministry of Justice, to fund the victim care contract for adult victims of trafficking in England and Wales.
	The victim care contract will be retendered for 2014-15 and the funding position will be kept under review.
	Budgets for research and rehabilitation in 2014-15 have not yet been agreed.

Property

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property her Department owns in Scotland.

Mark Harper: The Home Department owns one property in Scotland; Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre, Strathaven, Lanarkshire ML10 6RF. This property was valued in March 2011 at £4.6 million.

Devolution

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will place in the Library any concordats which her Department or the public body for which she is responsible have with the devolved administrations.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not have any concordats with counterparts in the devolved Administrations of Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Legal Aid Scheme

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what (a) proportion and (b) amount of his Department's criminal legal aid budget was allocated to high value cases in each of the last three years;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a breakdown of how his Department's criminal legal aid budget has been spent in each of the last three years;
	(3)  what amount his Department spent in each of the last three years on legal cases involving bank fraud.

Jeremy Wright: At £2 billion a year we have one of the most expensive legal aid systems in the world and must ensure we get best value for every penny of taxpayers' money spent. We have recently finished consulting on a number of proposals to reform legal aid and are now carefully examining all the responses.
	Very High Cost Cases are defined by the Legal Aid Agency as those cases in which a legal aid representation order has been granted on or after 3 October 2011 and, if the case were to proceed to trial, would likely last more than 60 days. There is no separate budget within the overall legal aid forecast for such cases, and as such the information requested is not held.
	A breakdown of spending on both civil and criminal legal aid is contained in the Legal Services Commission (now Legal Aid Agency) Annual Report. Each year the Ministry of Justice lays this Annual Report in Parliament ahead of publication, meaning it is available to all members. The 2012-13 Legal Services Commission Annual Report was laid in Parliament on 25 June.
	Information on the amount of legal aid spending in cases involving bank fraud is not available. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) funds legal services within broad categories of law, such as public law and immigration and asylum. Legal aid spending on bank fraud cannot be disaggregated from other spending on fraud matters. The amount spent on fraud matters in each of the last three years was:
	
		
			  Fraud matters costs (£ million) 
			 2009-10 224.84 
			 2010-11 213.82 
			 2011-12 224.22 
		
	
	
		
			 Notes: 1. The above costs include VAT and disbursements. 2. These include crime lower claims, crime higher—Litigator Graduated Fee Scheme, Advocate Graduated Fee Scheme and Very High Cost Case bills paid, as well as the costs paid by Her Majesty's' Courts and Tribunals Services on Crown Court cases. 3. They exclude costs paid by the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, House of Lords and Senior Courts Costs Office.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the cost was of legal aid in North Wales in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many legal firms have participated in the legal aid system in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many people qualified for legal aid in North Wales in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) holds information in relation to the total cost of legal and number of acts of assistance provided in North Wales (as defined by LAA procurement area boundaries) and the number of legal aid offices in England and Wales for each of the past five financial years.
	The information requested is detailed in the tables:
	
		
			 Legal aid in North Wales 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Costs paid in £ million 5.95 6.67 6.04 6.86 6.83 
			 Number of acts of assistance 22,197 24,383 25,352 23,435 22,538 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of offices in England and Wales 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Civil contracts 3,627 3,585 3,206 3,394 2,988 
			 Crime contracts 2,230 2,245 2,137 2,418 2,309 
		
	
	Please note:
	The costs include VAT and disbursements such as expenses, third party costs, and costs paid by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Services (HMCTS) on crown court cases.
	The information does not include costs paid by the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, House of Lords, and Senior Court Costs Office. Solicitor advocates are treated as Barristers and costs paid to them are not included as part of the firm.
	The LAA does not record the number of people who qualified for legal aid. Instead it records the number of 'acts of assistance'. One individual may receive a number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person.
	A solicitor office may hold both a civil and a criminal contract and the aggregate of civil and criminal offices does not reflect the total number of providers.

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison staff were dismissed for conducting inappropriate relationships with prisoners in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The definition of an inappropriate relationship is any relationship with prisoners, ex prisoners, partners, immediate family or close associates involved in criminal activities if not formally declared to the governor or head of NOMS unit as a potential 'Conflict of Interest'. The information setting out how many prison staff were dismissed solely for having an inappropriate relationship with a Prisoner(s)(1) is set out in the table:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010 10 
			 2011 9 
			 2012 9 
		
	
	It should be noted that all corrupt activity contains an element of inappropriate relationships with prisoners, and is usually a precursor to such activity and so numbers will be greater for those who were dismissed for having been involved in an inappropriate relationship and which also contained another element of corruption, such as the conveying of mobile phones which would be an offence under the Offender Management Act.
	Corruption in the Prison Service is not acceptable and will be sought out and prevented. This Government is committed to ensuring that the agencies remain free from corruption and that those who do commit illegal acts are dealt with swiftly and reported to the prosecuting authorities.
	(1) The information provided has been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Prisoner Escapes

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners who escaped during transit in the last five years are still to be recaptured; and of what offence each escapee had been convicted;
	(2)  how many escapes there were during prisoner transit in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The following table shows the number of escapes that have occurred while prisoners are in transit between 2007-08 and 2011-12, the most recent period for which data is available. The table includes escorts conducted by contractors under the Prison Escort and Custody Services contract and HM Prison Service staff.
	All prisoners who escaped in transit between 2007-08 and 2011-12 have subsequently been recaptured.
	The total number of escapes from custody has been falling since 1995 when central records began, despite an increasing prison population. The majority of escorts take place without incident; escapes involving outside assistance, particularly armed assistance are extremely rare.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of prisoners escaping while in transit, by financial year, between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2012 
			  Number of escapes 
			 2007-08 1 
			 2008-09 3 
			 2009-10 2 
			 2010-11 1 
			 2011-12 7 
			 Note: These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 
		
	
	The Ministry of Justice is currently taking action to reduce the risk of escape further, particularly the risk of escape from escort. However, this risk remains low with only one escape from escort contractors for every 72,510 prisoners passing through Prisoner Escort Custody Services custody.

Prisons: Corruption

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what training is expected of employees in HM Prison Service in dealing with corruption (a) on commencing their employment and (b) on an ongoing basis as part of continuing professional development.

Jeremy Wright: Corruption in the Prison Service is not acceptable and will be sought out and prevented. This Government is committed to ensuring that the agencies remain free from corruption and that those who do commit illegal acts are dealt with swiftly and reported to the prosecuting authorities.
	Corruption ‘prevention’ activity and the raising of awareness amongst staff remains at the heart of the NOMS corruption prevention strategy. (a) All new officers and operational support grades receive training in (1) Expected Standards of Behaviour and (2) Conditioning, Manipulation and Corruption Prevention awareness. (b) For all new and current staff within an establishment training is conducted on an ongoing basis and is promoted at a local, regional and national level. During 2011 a new DVD/training package covering conditioning and manipulation and the risks of engaging inappropriate relationships was rolled out to all public sector prisons. In April 2012 it was rolled out to contracted prisons.

Public Expenditure

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he received from the Scottish Government on the Spending Review.

Michael Moore: Scotland Office Ministers have received no representations from the Scottish Government on the spending review.

Aviation: Greater London

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether the funding announced in the 2013 Spending Round to improve air links to London will be available to all regional airports;
	(2)  whether the funding announced in the 2013 Spending Round to improve air links to London will be used to restore links that no longer operate;
	(3)  what proportion of matched funding must be provided as a condition of accessing the funding announced to improve air links to London;
	(4)  what criteria he will use to assess bids by regional airports for funding announced in the 2013 Spending Round to improve air links to London.

Simon Burns: The importance of regional air connectivity to London airports is recognised in the Aviation Policy Framework (APF), which confirms that the Government would be inclined to support proposals by devolved and regional bodies to establish Public Service Obligations (PSOs) that comply with the specific conditions within EU law (Regulation 1008/2008), where necessary to protect services between other UK airports and London.
	The APF states that regional bodies (e.g. devolved Administrations, local authorities and local enterprise partnerships (LEPs)) will continue to be responsible for developing the business, financial and legal cases required by—the regulation on PSOs, and for demonstrating the importance of particular air services to the economic development of areas of the UK. Where the case for a PSO has been made the Government will agree, subject to periodic review, the appropriate level of support it will provide alongside regional support.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will instruct High Speed 2 Ltd to carry out a feasibility study of Option 8 at Euston station;
	(2)  when he became aware that High Speed 2 Ltd has not carried out a feasibility study of Option 8 at Euston station.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), was advised in December 2012 that a revised design, originally termed "Option 8", was being progressed by HS2 Ltd for Euston station that would deliver the required functionality with less disruption and at a lower cost. The Department for Transport is currently consulting on a range of design refinements for Phase 1 of HS2, including the design of Euston station. Once the consultation closes on 11 July, the Government will then fully consider the responses before deciding on whether to proceed with the proposed revision to the design of Euston station.

Tonnage Tax

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has conducted into tonnage tax levels that currently apply in other EU countries.

Stephen Hammond: No specific research has been carried out. However, the Government is aware of the tax rates which operate in comparable tonnage tax schemes in other EU countries.

Banks: Foreign Workers

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many jobs in banks with a full or majority stake held by the Government have been outsourced overseas since 2008;
	(2)  what the policy of UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI) is on the practice of overseas outsourcing of jobs by those financial institutions in which UKFI has a stake.

Sajid Javid: The Government's shareholdings in Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) are managed on a commercial and arm's length basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI).
	UKFI's role is to manage the stakes and not to manage the banks.
	Decisions on staffing are operational decisions and are for the banks themselves. The Government is therefore unable to comment on this matter.

Minimum Wage

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many unannounced minimum wage inspections were carried out by HM Revenue and Customs on companies located in (a) Newcastle Upon Tyne North constituency, (b) the North East and (c) England in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many notices of minimum wage underpayments were issued by HM Revenue and Customs to companies located in (a) Newcastle Upon Tyne North constituency, (b) the North East and (c) England in each of the last five years; and how many such companies (i) paid within 14 days, (ii) paid within 28 days and (iii) took their case to appeal;
	(3)  how many complaints regarding minimum wage non-compliance were received by HM Revenue and Customs regarding companies located in (a) Newcastle Upon Tyne North constituency, (b) the North East and (c) England in each of the last five years; and what proportion of these complaints resulted in prosecutions.

David Gauke: HMRC does not keep statistics related to the number of unannounced inspections carried out.
	HMRC does not keep statistics at constituency level and, since April 2011, no longer captures complaints or the outcomes of its investigations by reference to government regions or country.
	As a consequence of the way in which contact information for employers is recorded, HMRC is not able to produce exact statistics relating to companies located in England.
	The data in the table relates to notice of underpayments by compliance teams based in England. Please note that Notices of Underpayment were not introduced until April 2009.
	
		
			 Financial year Notice of Underpayment issued Paid within 14 days Appeals received 
			 2009-10 352 175 6 
			 2010-11 877 494 32 
			 2011-12 705 426 24 
			 2012-13 540 340 13 
		
	
	HMRC does not record the timescale in which the employer pays arrears to workers. HMRC does, however, record where an employer is entitled to pay a reduced penalty charge by paying arrears to workers and the reduced penalty charge to HMRC within 14 days.
	The data in the following table relates to complaint cases allocated to compliance teams based in England for the period requested.
	
		
			 Financial year Complaint cases Prosecutions 
			 2008-09 1,922 4 
			 2009-10 2,264 0 
			 2010-11 1,734 1 
			 2011-12 1,345 0 
			 2012-13 1,114 1

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward a stamp duty rebate for homes participating in the Green Deal.

Sajid Javid: Following the Chancellor's announcement of £200 million additional capital to encourage uptake of Green Deal in 2011 autumn statement, the Government is using £125 million of this to fund a generous Cashback scheme to be claimed by those who take up Green Deal from January 2013.
	Other uses of the additional capital include £12 million of funding that has been allocated to seven cities across England to help pilot Green Deal in their regions.
	The Government does not have any plans to introduce a SDLT relief for homes participating in the Green Deal.
	However stamp duty land tax policy, like that of all taxes, is kept under review through the normal Budget process.

Children: Poverty

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of children in the UK living in poverty; and what steps the Government is taking to substantially reduce child poverty in the near future.

Esther McVey: The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020. The targets are based on the proportion of children living in households with relative low income, combined low income and material deprivation, absolute low income and persistent poverty (all before housing costs have been taken into account). Estimates of these are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
	UK figures for relative and absolute low income and combined low income and material deprivation for 2011/12 and persistent poverty for 2005-08 can be found in the latest HBAI publication, available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/households-below-average-income-hbai-199495-to-201112
	Relevant figures can be found in Table 4.1tr (on page 102) for the latest relative low income figures, table 4.2tr (on page 103) for the latest absolute low income figures and table 4.5tr (on page 106) for the latest combined low income and material deprivation figures. The latest persistent poverty estimates can be found in table 7.1 tr (on page 248).
	The evidence consistently shows that the best routes out of poverty are through parents being in work and through a child's educational achievement which can stop a poor child becoming a poor adult.
	We are introducing the universal credit which will reduce child poverty through making work pay and providing an effective route out of poverty. Universal credit will improve work incentives by allowing individuals to keep more of their income as they move into work, and by introducing a smoother and more transparent reduction of benefits when they increase their earnings. Universal credit will also reduce child poverty by re-focusing of entitlements on lower income in-work households and having a simpler system that should lead to a considerable increase in the take-up compared to the current complex system of benefits and tax credits.
	We are also firmly committed to giving poor children the best opportunities in life to help break the poverty cycle so they do not go on to become poor adults. Targeting education as a route out of poverty, we are investing £2.5 billion in the pupil premium to raise educational attainment of poor children, as well as 260,000 disadvantaged two-year-olds receiving 15 hours a week of free early year's education.
	We want to develop better measures of child poverty which include, but go beyond income to provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty and drive the right action. Our consultation on how best to measure child poverty closed on 15 February. The complexity of the issue means that we need to take time to ensure we have the best option for measuring child poverty, so that we can ensure we properly tackle the causes. We will publish our response as soon as we can.

Industrial Health and Safety: Construction

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many fatal accidents occurred in the construction sector in the last year for which figures are available; and how many of the people who were killed were (a) self-employed, (b) employed by firms with fewer than 10 employees and (c) employed by firms with fewer than 50 employees.

Mark Hoban: The figures for fatal accidents within the construction sector are provided in Table 1, by employment status, including (a) the self-employed. These represent the latest annual figures as published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on 3 July 2013.
	The figures are not available broken down by (b) employed by firms with fewer than 10 employees and (c) employed by firms with fewer than 50 employees as, due to the often complex employment structures and the transient nature of construction work, HSE is not able to routinely record information on the precise size of these firms.
	
		
			 Table 1: Fatal injuries to workers in the construction industry(1) as reported to all enforcing authorities 2012-13(2) 
			 Great Britain Number 
			 Employees 27 
			 Self-employed 12 
			 Total workers(3) 39 
			 Members of the public 5 
			 Total 44 
			 (1) Statistics are identified by Standard Industrial Classification 2007 (SIC2007) Section F—Construction. (2) Provisional. (3) The term 'worker' covers employees and self-employed combined.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on exemptions to the new jobseeker's allowance seven-day waiting rule; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: Detailed policies on this measure are yet to be decided. However current rules exempt claimants from serving waiting days where they have returned to jobseeker's allowance within 12 weeks of the end of a previous claim to jobseeker's allowance or a previous claim to another benefit, for example employment and support allowance. Young people who receive Jobseeker's allowance under severe hardship provisions are also exempt. It is likely that these exemptions will be carried forward to the new, extended seven-day waiting rule.

Occupational Health

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to reduce occupational ill-health.

Esther McVey: Fitness for work: the Government response to 'Health at work—an independent review of sickness absence' was published in January 2013. It outlined a range of measures to support people with ill-health to remain in and return to work including a new health and work assessment and advisory service which will make occupational health expertise more widely available to GPs, and those employees and employers who need it most.

Social Security Benefits

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the effect of changes to working-age benefits on household income.

Mark Hoban: The Department regularly produces assessments and analysis of the impacts of new policies, which can be found at the Department's website, and keeps these up to date if impacts change.
	The Government regularly produces analysis of the cumulative impact of all coalition changes, including working-age benefits, on households across the income distribution. This information is published at every Budget and other major fiscal events, in the interests of transparency. The most recent update was published with the spending round 2013 on 26 June.
	The publication of cumulative impacts is a coalition initiative and was not produced by the previous Administration.

Work Capability Assessment

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with (a) rheumatoid arthritis, (b) cystic fibrosis and (c) multiple sclerosis have undergone multiple work capability assessments since its introduction.

Mark Hoban: The Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA) and the work capability assessment (WCA). The latest publication was released in April 2013 and can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employment-and-support-allowance-work-capability-assessment-april-2013
	Table 6 in the spreadsheet accompanying the publication breaks down how claimants are allocated to the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG). This shows that 54% of claimants entering the WRAG after the initial WCA on their claim, did so based on the points awarded at the WCA. The remainder entered the WRAG for reasons other than points awarded at the WCA, these reasons are explained in the publication.
	In response to the first question above, table 1 provides information on the number of claimants who were awarded the WRAG based on points scored at the initial WCA and who were subsequently awarded fewer points at the second WCA on the same claim. Claimants who were awarded the WRAG at the second WCA based on a reason other than points scored have been excluded.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of claimants in the WRAG at the initial WCA who were awarded the WRAG at the second WCA but received points. All new ESA claims starting between October 2008 and August 2012 
			 Health condition Claimants awarded fewer points at second WCA 
			 Cystic Fibrosis — 
			 Multiple Sclerosis 60 
			 Rheumatoid arthritis 90 
			 '—' Denotes nil or negligible 
		
	
	Table 2 provides the requested data for the remaining questions above.
	
		
			 Table 2: Comparison of outcomes of the initial and second WCA on the same claim. All new ESA claims starting between October 2008 and August 2012 
			 Health condition Claimants in WRAG after initial WCA who were then found Fit for Work at second WCA on the same claim Claimants in Support Group after initial WCA who then entered the WRAG at second WCA on the same claim Claimants having two or more WCAs on the same claim 
			 Cystic Fibrosis 10 10 220 
		
	
	
		
			 Multiple Sclerosis 100 100 3,560 
			 Rheumatoid arthritis 270 90 2,820 
			 Source: The data presented above comes from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare. 
		
	
	All figures relate to claims starting between October 2008 and August 2012, who have completed at least two WCAs on the same claim. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Work Programme

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the criteria are for a work programme provider to be eligible for market share shift.

Mark Hoban: To be eligible to receive additional referrals the better performing prime provider in a contract package area must have achieved a job outcome rate three percentage points or more higher than the lower performing prime provider in year 2 of the programme, ending March 2013. They must also have achieved a satisfactory rating in their most recent assurance review and in the most recent Merlin Standard assessment of their supply chain management. Assessments of performance and decisions on market share shifts will be applied separately (and only) to the three main payment groups—JSA claimants aged 18-24 , JSA claimants aged 25 and over, and new ESA claimants.